The Sweet Escape
by Lothlorienx
Summary: Allura and Lotor just barely escape from Zarkon's ship, stealing only a single small spaceship in the process. It's a long ways back to the Castle of Lions, and Allura and Lotor have plenty of time to kill before they get there. Slightly AU: Canon Divergence. [Lotura] [Smut / Lemon]
1. Chapter 1

**The Sweet Escape**

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Chapter 1

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Allura and Lotor has just barely escaped with their lives. After fleeing Zarkon's ship and stealing the closest spaceship they could, they thought little of the cramped space in the pilot's seat. They were too busy getting out alive and without any injuries. And as soon as they were home free, heading to the Castle of Lions and their ship zipping along far past Zarkon's reaches, they were finally able to relax, take a deep breath, and look around at their surroundings.

Lotor sighed, his eyes closing at the sight of thousands of stars drifting slowly past. He'd been on the run from his father for so long that it almost didn't feel like a challenge anymore. But getting Allura out of the prison cell had been another matter entirely. He opened his eyes and looked back at Allura, who was slumped against the window, eyes closed, breath coming evenly.

"You should rest," Lotor said, putting a hand on her shoulder.

Allura opened her eyes slightly, looking at him through her lashes. "Rest," she repeated. "Yes, that sounds nice." She looked behind her. There was only one chair in the pilot's space, and it was pushed all the way back, it's back pushed so far down that it was almost flat.

She looked back at Lotor. "If it won't be a bother, of course," she said.

"Allura, please. It's no bother at all. You're tired, you need rest. Go ahead. I'll just stand here," Lotor said. He pulled his eyes away from her and looked out the windshield again. He leaned on his arms, pushed up against the controls. He was tired, too, but he was used to being tired.

"I promise I won't take too long," Allura said, going over to sit down. "I can see you need rest too."

"Allura—" Lotor began, but Allura cut him off.

"I can see you swaying on your feet," she told him. "You can barely stand up. If it wasn't for the dashboard, you would have collapsed on the floor by now."

Lotor couldn't deny that. But he didn't say anything, he only nodded and leaned up against the windows like she had done. He was tired, but she needed the rest more. Plus, it was the least he could do for her, since he was partially responsible for her getting captured in the first place. He had never expected the mission to turn out so wrong, or that Allura would jump at the chance to put herself in danger—especially for the likes of him.

He still thought back to it. Allura had pushed him out of the way, saved him from being captured by the Galra, only to be captured herself. Lotor still didn't completely understand it, why she had done such a thing. Maybe she really had grown to like him. Maybe she had come to see him as more than just an ally but as a friend, like one of her Paladins or Coran or anyone of the alien subjects she and Voltron protected. The thought was still mind-boggling.

Allura had risked her safety—her very life—for him.

And why?

Lotor went over the question again and again. His lids drooped, but he snapped them back open, knowing that at least one of them had to keep awake. He looked back over at Allura; she was laying down in the pilot's seat, her hair fluffed out around her, one arm tucked beneath her head, her legs curled up close to her body. She looked so peaceful like that. Not a worry in the world, not a nightmare in her head.

"She knows she's safe with me," Lotor whispered in disbelief. It hit him so suddenly then, but it had been so obvious for so long. How had he not noticed before now? Of course she felt safe; she had grown to trust him more and more, treating him as friendly as she did with the Paladins, joking around with him, smiling at him, her eyes sparkling when she saw him, her face lighting up when he spoke to her, her always finding some excuse to be around him…

Wait a minute…

Lotor's eyes widened and he looked at her a bit closer. She wasn't like that with the other Paladins…not exactly. He knew she liked him but…maybe she liked him more than he initially realized. All her lingering looks, her soft smiles, her teasing, the way she would touch him briefly…

How had he not realized sooner? Maybe he had always thought it so impossible that he could never even entertain the idea, but now, as he stood there watching her sleep, it dawned on him that Allura liked him. More than liked him. She actually had feelings for him. Strong feelings. She wouldn't have done this if she didn't.

Lotor looked back out the window, needing to clear his head. He slumped harder against the window, trying to get comfortable. His fatigue was wearing down on him, but he'd be damned to fall asleep now. He wouldn't be surprised if Zarkon or his witch were scoping out his ship at this very moment. He was sure that they were safe for the moment, and that they would make it back to the castle safely, but he couldn't rely on the off chance that his gut was wrong.

He glanced down at the scanners. They didn't show anything near them for two parsecs. They were a few stray asteroids to their left, but too small and too far away to be of any concern. So long as the ship continued on their path, they shouldn't encounter anything until they reached the castle.

Who knew how long that would be though? Even was they folded space behind them, it was still a good distance before they would reach them. This ship couldn't open wormholes, so they were stuck traveling at this speed.

We escaped and that's what important, Lotor reminded himself. Still he couldn't help the taste of bitter regret on the back of his tongue. The destruction he'd left behind him when they destroyed Zarkon's fleet, the injuries to countless Galra allies that had helped him find Allura, the fact that he had almost killed Haggar…his moth—no, not his mother. His mother had died long before he was born, and whatever was left was just an empty, twisted shell of what she had been.

"Lotor…" Allura whispered behind him.

He turned. "You're awake," he said. "You shouldn't be. Get some more sleep."

"I've gotten enough," Allura said, stretching her limbs. Her legs stretched so far that one of her feet hit his leg. "Oh. Sorry," she said. "I didn't mean to."

Lotor brushed it off. "Don't exert yourself on account of me."

"I'm not," Allura said. "It's been…I'm not sure how long exactly, but enough for one full sleep cycle."

"Has it?" Lotor asked. "It certainly doesn't seem like it."

"No? Perhaps you dozed off yourself then," she said with a small chuckle.

Lotor didn't like that thought, but Allura's laugh brought a smile to his face. "I doubt it. I've been awake this whole time; I'm sure of it."

"If you say so," Allura said, another chuckle escaping her lips. "It's your turn," she said as she got out of the pilot's seat, offering it to him.

Lotor shook his head. "No. I couldn't possibly."

"Well, I'm not going to use it so you might as well," Allura said. She crossed her arms and smirked at him. Lotor knew that look well. It was a look that meant that no amount of arguing would change her mind. He sighed and went to the pilot's seat, stretching out his limbs and leaning back down.

Honestly, it did feel nice to get off of his feet and just lay down. His eyes drifted closed, but he still tried to stay awake. He thought of something, anything, to try to keep himself awake, but nothing came to mind. Nothing but how tired he was and how good it would feel just to sleep.

Allura watched as he drifted to sleep. She gave a slight smile. He really didn't get enough sleep, and she was glad to see that he was finally falling asleep. She wouldn't wake him, no matter what. She could stand to be awake for a little while before needing another nap. No matter how tired she was, and she was tired.

The Galra had tried their unique interrogation techniques on her, which including sleep deprivation. She'd never thought that being so tired counted as torture, but the Galra had managed to prove her wrong. Eventually she had started to crack, telling them nonsense at first, just to try to get some minutes of sleep, but it just got worse and worse. Finally, she couldn't take it anymore, and no matter how much noise, how much light, how much electro-shocks, she fell asleep, sleeping through the pain and screams of it all. Only to be awakened with a bucked of cold water poured right on her face. And even then that wasn't enough to keep her awake. She was about to slip right back into another deep dream when she was roughly pulled from the floor by some guardsman, made to march through the hallways half asleep.

"Just keep quiet," the guard had told her.

No problem there, she had thought. She was too tired to make a sound, or to keep her eyes open long enough, or even to get her feet to move quick enough.

"When you see him, grab onto his shoulder and follow him, say nothing, do as he says, and we might all get out of this alive," said the guard.

"I'll never—" Allura was about to say, when his words finally registered. "Who…?"

"It doesn't matter who I am. Just follow my instructions and you'll get out of here safely," he whispered back. "Understand?" He gripped her arm roughly to emphasis his point.

Allura nodded, too tired to talk. A small part of her brain said that this might be a trap, but she was too tired to figure out how. So she ended up trusting the guardsman. And just as he said, he led her to the next guard, a short Galran man who had been Lotor in disguise. She didn't know at the time, but she slumped up against his shoulder all the same, following him quietly through the corridors to get back to his ship.

And then the explosion hit. The alarms had all sounded, too loud for Allura to block out, and then they were running and hiding, Lotor cutting down guards and leaving them screaming in pain on the floor. Allura was trying her best to keep up, but in the end she was lifted onto Lotor's back, her arms around his neck, hanging on as he ran through Zarkon's ship, trying to find some escape route.

And then she remembered letting go, falling roughly to the floor, Lotor screaming her name. And she got up, looked around and found a room full of docked spaceships, and dozens of Galra with their weapons out, all aimed at her. She knew what she needed to do, though she wasn't sure how she did it. She knew she avoided them, something exploded, there was a massive whoosh as all the air was being sucked out into the void of space. There was a fight, screams and the clang of metal and the blast of guns, Lotor was there again, picking her up in his arms, they were in a ship, they were escaping as the ship accelerated so fast that shockwaves destroyed the docking bay behind them. Then they were traveling, and he said something, and now she was here.

She tried to recall more but that was all she could remember. She tried to remember if anyone else was there. There was her, Lotor, a couple of helpful Galra…perhaps The Blade of Marmora members? Either in disguise or working as double agents. She honestly couldn't recall. None of the Paladins had been there; she was sure of that. Something that important she would remember. No Keith, no Pidge, no Shiro, or Hunk, or Lance, or Coran…

Just her and Lotor making a desperate escape together.

And what of that traitor Altean? Allura wondered. No, nothing of her she could recall either. Just nameless, faceless Galran guards whose faces all blurred together as time went on.

"You're about to collapse," Lotor murmured.

Allura came back to the present. She was; she was leaning so heavily on the controls, her forehead leaning against her hands, her knees buckled.

"I'm fine," Allura told him. "Maybe I'll just sit down…"

"You shouldn't have to sleep on the floor, especially since there's so little of it," Lotor said with a soft chuckle. "Allura, you could…" Suddenly a lump appeared in Lotor's throat. He swallowed, trying to make it go away. "You could…sit here with me. I know there's not much room, but I think it would be comfortable enough for us both."

"You mean…sit on your lap?" Allura questioned.

"Or I could sit on your lap if you wished," Lotor said with a smile.

"I think you're a little too big for that," Allura said, smiling. "I suppose we could. We're both safe; no other ships around for several parsecs. No tracking device located, no signs of—" she yawned, "—of being tracked…"

"Allura," Lotor said, trying not to blush, "come and sit with me. We both need sleep." He held his hands out to her.

Allura glanced down to the side. She didn't know if she was blushing or not. She felt a little too tired to blush, but just tired enough to take him up on his offer. She took his hands and he pulled her down to him. Allura easily fit. She sat on his lap, her back up against his arm and chest, her head falling into the crook of his shoulder. He was so warm, though his armor was a bit hard on her sore muscles. But she found herself sinking into him regardless of his armor. His arm came to wrap around her, and Allura shifted slightly, trying to find a more comfortable position.

In the back of her head, some part of her was screaming in excitement. The fact that she was this close to Lotor, laying down with him, his arms wrapped around her as they fell asleep together. It was almost like they had gone to bed together.

It wasn't the first time the thought had crossed Allura's mind—going to bed with Lotor—but she never pictured it would be quite like this. In a cramped little spaceship, on the run from Zarkon, still recovering from her torture, hurdling through space in a desperate attempt to reach the Castle of Lions as soon as they could.

Her heart hammered in her chest. The fact that she was this close—this intimate with Lotor right now…

She wondered if it was affecting him as much as it was her. Maybe he was already asleep. Maybe he was completely unaware of anything happening, other than he had gone to rescue a friend and now they were innocently sharing a chair to sleep.

Lotor's hand wandered through her hair slowly. Allura's heart beat harder. So he wasn't asleep…and he was touching her hair. He stroked her hair once before letting his hand rest on her hip, but soon his thumb starting stroking little circles around her skin. It felt so nice to have Lotor touch her this way, but the rough burlap of her prison clothes was quite distracting.

"Lotor…" she said.

His hand jumped away from her. "I'm…I'm sorry, I thought you were asleep." He shouldn't have said that; now she'd think he would do this when she was asleep. "I…I didn't mean it like that. I only meant—"

"It's alright, Lotor," Allura said, putting a hand to his chest. "I don't mind. I only meant to tell you that the fabric is irritating. That's all."

"Oh. Of course," Lotor said. A small of relief escaped him. Tentatively, he let his hand wander back to Allura's hip, not to stroke her, but simply to rest there.

Allura breathed deep and snuggled up against him. He could feel her breath ghosting over his neck, and he relished the feeling. It hand't been his sleep-deprived imagination; Allura was attracted to him and he to her. He moved his head a bit closer to her.

Allura giggled.

"What's so funny?" Lotor mumbled.

"Your hair tickles," she replied.

"This said by a woman with the most hair in the galaxy," Lotor said. "How can you be sure it's my hair?"

"I know what your hair feels like," Allura said. "It's very soft…and smooth…and silky…and straight…and it always smells so nice."

Lotor smiled. "You flatter me," he said. A tick went by before he asked, "What does it smell like?"

"Like the summer wind on Altea, carrying with it the scent of freshly bloomed flowers and trees, and the new life of the night figs."

"I had no idea my hair smelled so specific," Lotor said. "And here I thought that it only smelled like cleansing water."

"Guess I just have an overactive imagination," Allura said.

"Just another thing I admire about you," Lotor said.

Allura blushed and opened her eyes to look at him. His eyes were closed and the most peaceful look she had ever seen on his face graced her eyesight. It was truly such a rare scene that she was momentarily breathless. To see him so unguarded and happy…she couldn't help herself. She leaned forward and kissed him on the forehead.

Lotor opened his eyes and looked at her in surprise.

"Sleep well," Allura said, closing her eyes and leaning back down on his shoulder, trying to look as innocent as possible.

"Sleep well," Lotor replied.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

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Allura woke up first, which surprised her. She had been the one to undergo sleep deprivation, not Lotor. So…how long had it been since he had last slept? Or at least slept this deeply? She didn't want to get up and disturb him, so she sat still and quiet on his lap, still sleepy but feeling refreshed.

She glanced over at the controls and monitors. Still nothing close to them, no ships or planets or comets or planet-less aliens drifting in the nether. Just them and millions of stars, and somewhere far beyond them was the Castle of Lions. They knew that she and Lotor were coming, and that they were to hold their position until they arrived. It would still be some time before the two of them arrived, even after having traveled several parsecs while they slept. About twenty more parsecs to go, the monitor read. So long as nothing happened, they would arrive within a quintant. That gave them plenty of time before they needed to start slowing down in preparation to dock.

Beneath her, Lotor stirred, grunting a bit and flexing his muscles. The weight on his body instantly reminded him where he was. He opened his eyes to look down at Allura. She was awake, her eyes scanning the monitors from a distance, but still she laid down on top of him, her head moved to an awkward angle.

"How far away are we?" Lotor asked her.

"Twenty parsecs," Allura told him. "We should be there within a quintant."

"Alright," Lotor said with a heavy sigh. He closed his eyes again, his arm instinctively coming up to wrap around Allura's body. He didn't know why the movement felt so familiar, but it did. Like he'd been holding Allura that way his whole life, and it came as naturally as breathing or sleeping or walking.

"You've still got plenty of time to catch up on sleep," Allura told him.

"Same for you," he said, his thumb pressing into her hip, "go back to sleep. Even a couple more vargas will make a difference."

"You speak from experience," Allura said.

"Unfortunately, yes," Lotor said, "I've been sleeping in runaway spaceships for most of my life it seems like."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Allura said. "At least you have a place to sleep now."

"Yes," Lotor said. "The castle's guest bedrooms are nicer than any bed I've ever slept in. And I'm including the prince's quarters in that."

"What? Did they have you sleep on a bed of nails?" Allura asked him.

"No such thing. But the beds were fairly stiff and…unaccommodating, for lack of a better word. I had no idea such fluffiness existed."

Allura chuckled again. "I didn't know you were so fond of fluffiness."

"Oh, I am," Lotor said, looking down and smirking at her. "Not many Galrans will admit it, but fluffiness is one of our key weaknesses."

Allura laughed again. "Well, I'll have to keep that in mind for the next battle. Instead of blades and blaster guns, we'll all just come armed with the fluffiest pillows imaginable."

"I could think of no deadlier weapon," Lotor said with a laugh.

Allura sat up and stretched, her arms raising high over her head. The rough fabric of her prison clothes scratched her skin and she tried pulling the fabric as far away from her body as possible. It hung around her like a loose sack, so pulling on it was just fine. But it had to come down on her skin somewhere.

"What is this made of? Metal shavings?" Allura asked.

"No. Far worse I'm afraid. It's made of old, frayed rope," Lotor replied.

"With metal somewhere in the rope?" Allura asked.

"Possibly," Lotor said. "There are ropes out there with metal wiring woven inside of them."

"Joy," Allura said with a roll of her eyes. "This garment should be considered a war crime in and of itself."

Lotor chuckled. "Well, if I ever become Emperor, I'll make sure to outlaw them."

"How kind of you."

He chuckled again, and Allura laughed with him. She leaned back down on him, looking down into his face. She ran a hand over his hair, feeling the soft strands slip past her fingers easily. Then she realized what she was doing. She pulled her hand away and looked back down at his eyes.

"Why'd you stop?" Lotor asked her.

Shyly and with a blush, Allura put her hand back on his hair, weaving her fingers into his hair shallowly and brushing through the strands. His hair was so nice and smooth, and it felt almost like Altean silk. He must have gotten this hair from his Altean mother, Allura reasoned. She'd never seen any other Galran with hair quite like this.

Lotor closed his eyes as she ran her fingers through his hair, over and over again, brushing it slowly and calmly.

Allura stopped. "There's blood in your hair," she said.

"Is it mine?" he asked without even opening his eyes.

"No. I'd be able to see a wound if it were."

"Then I'll worry about it later," Lotor said.

"Is there blood in mine?" Allura wondered aloud, and she turned her attention to her own hair, inspecting the strands for any sign of red or purple or black blood.

Lotor leaned forward and threaded his fingers through her hair. Allura's lashes fluttered closed as he did so, taking his time to inspect every inch of her hair. His fingers were so gentle, careful not to tangle in her coily hair. As he moved his way back to her face, she smiled at her and said, "Perfect. Not a speck of blood to be seen."

"Good to hear," Allura said. "Though maybe I'm bleeding everywhere else from this metal rope torture garment," she laughed.

"Do you want me to inspect that too?" Lotor asked with a nervous chuckle. He looked away before he could see Allura's wide eyes turn to him.

"N-no. That's quite alright," Allura stammered. "I'll look myself when we get back to the castle." She put a hand to her chest, feeling her heart hammering hard, just like before. She was sure Lotor was flirting with her now. He had to be. Or was he just making jokes to pass the time more easily? Allura couldn't be sure, but her gut told her it was the former.

Not that the flirting wasn't welcome. On the contrary. She loved it when he flirted with her. Whenever he looked at her with his bright eyes, whenever his smile graced his face, whenever he laughed with her, whenever he was close to her. She loved every time that he was with her, their secret words shared in the middle of the night cycle in the castle, when they would sometimes stay awake late at night just to talk. They'd been so close ever since Oriadne, when they shared that one kiss that they hadn't spoken of ever since then. Sometimes she wasn't even sure that it had happened; that it must have happened in a vision or a dream, that it couldn't have been real.

"I…uh…am going to check the monitors," Allura told him, standing up from the pilot's seat and stepping over to the dashboard.

She checked all the readings, made sure the controls were right where they were supposed to be, checked the tracking light to make sure it was off for possibly the hundredth time, and the tracking device detector to make sure nothing was tracking them for the thousandth time. The oxygen levels were perfect, the speed was consistent, everything was just as it was supposed to be.

She kept looking again and again at everything she could, trying to keep her mind off of Lotor's suggestion or the fact that her prison dress was getting more and more irritating by the minute. At least when she was sleep deprived it felt a little soft. Now it was like sandpaper on raw skin.

She looked back at Lotor, wanting to talk to him some more, only to find that he had fallen asleep again.

Poor guy must be so tired, she thought to herself. She wondered if she could go and sit back down on him without waking him up. She would like that, but would Lotor liked being woken up once again? Allura figured he needed that sleep, and someone should stay awake and oversee the controls, like they had originally done.

She tried her best to focus, but the prison dress was just getting too unbearable. She held the fabric as far away from her body as possible, not wanting to get her skin any worse than possible, but even her fingers felt raw just from holding the fabric for so long. She didn't know how she was going to make it; there was still such a long ways away from the castle. And there were no other clothes in the ship. She had searched around as quietly as she could, but there was nowhere for them to hide. She was stuck like that.

Unless…

Allura looked back at Lotor, sleeping soundly in the pilot's chair, his face pointed up at the ceiling, his whole body unmoving. She crept towards him, leaning over him. His chest rose and fell steadily. She waved her hand in front of his face, closer and closer, trying to see if he could feel or hear anything. Anything that might indicate he was close to waking up. Nothing.

Deciding to risk it all, Allura took a quick breath and pulled the prison dress from her body, tossing it on the floor and kicking it as far away from her as possible. She stood in the ship completely naked now, every bit of her skin exposed to the cool air of the ship.

She shivered and decided to turn the heat up a bit.

She'd stay like this for only a varga or so. Just enough time to give her skin a break but long before Lotor woke up and he could see her like this. Still, she pulled her hair around her, draping it over her shoulders to cover her breasts as best she could. It made her feel a little more secure, and a little warmer too.

But the relief from the dress was the best part of it all. At that moment, she didn't care that she was standing there as naked as day she was born. As long as Lotor was asleep and they were alone out there in the cosmos, she was fine with it. She just hoped Lotor would sleep long enough for her to have some relief that damned prison dress.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

* * *

Allura took her moments of alone time to inspect her body. Her skin was definitely raw from the dress, but it wasn't as bad as she had thought. There was no blood, though there were several scratches. Damn that old metal rope dress.

Why couldn't they just make prison clothes out of normal fabrics? Softer fabrics that didn't cut you up or scrape you down to your second or third layer of skin. I guess that's just not the Galra way, Allura thought to herself.

Allura was trying to be more open minded about the Galra. Ever since she met Lotor and he had proved himself as a true friend and ally, along with his generals who swore their allegiance to both him, the Coalition, and Voltron, she started to come around. She'd wanted to say that it began with Keith, but that wasn't true. Keith hadn't known he was half-Galran until recently, and he knew nothing of the culture or their murderous ways.

The Blade of Marmora had also made her question the Galra, though perhaps not as much as it should have. Galran people who opposed Zarkon and his dictatorship, and the warlike culture that had spread through the empire like wildfire? It had seemed so far-fetched.

They had said that the Galra way should not be like this. They were once a proud and strong race, and now they were just murderers and conquerors. They wanted the endless conquest and bloodshed to stop, and that most of the Galra could not be faulted as that was the culture they had been raised around since birth. Ten thousand years of violence and imperialism was not something to erase easily, and to stop the Galra from taking over the universe and completely destroying themselves was to take down Zarkon and restore the pre-war Galran ways.

Or so some of the Blade had said. Allura had listened intently, as every good diplomat should, but she was also curious about what they were saying. She had agreed, to a certain extent. The Galra were violent, and the war-worshipping culture Zarkon had created was not something that would easily go away, but the Galra were absolutely to blame for this. They had it in them to resist Zarkon; the very Blade of Marmora was proof of that!

"It is not that easy, princess," they had told her. "Would it be easy for you to go against your culture?"

"My culture is not warlike. We didn't destroy and conquer half of the known universe."

They had only sighed and shook their heads. Something that agitated her back then; now, she understood what they meant a bit more. Ten thousands years of tradition, being bred into them, as if their very DNA were infused with war and Zarkon's overbearing presence.

And Allura had asked herself before, If Altean culture was warlike and destructive, would she have been able to go against it? She thought so; she'd always had a strong sense of what's right and what's wrong. But then again, if she'd been told war's right and opposition was wrong, would she be able to see it as clearly? At least as clearly as the Blade of Marmora did, or even as Lotor did?

She spun around and looked back at him. Still fast asleep. She leaned back against the dashboard, feeling the cool metal up against her naked flesh. She almost gasped at the feeling, but luckily she remained quiet. If she'd gasped and Lotor woke at the sound and he saw her standing completely naked in front of him…who knows what would have gone through his head!

She would have been mortified! She would've worn that prison dress for ten thousand years straight if it meant her being able to save face from that.

Although, as she ran her hand down her raw, scarred skin, she wasn't so sure.

Well, that's not something I have to worry about now, Allura reasoned.

She stayed like that, leaning up against the dashboard, eyes focused on Lotor, her prison dress nearby in case she needed to grab it quickly.

Lotor didn't even stir in his sleep. He just laid there, breathing evenly, only the occasional twitch of his muscles to show that he was dreaming.

Allura wondered what he was dreaming of.

When she dreamed, it was almost always about Altea. She dreamed of the Castle of Lions, of the wide open fields and the bright blue sky above her, of the flowers in the breeze and trees so strong and tall that she could climb up them forever. She dreamed of her mother and father, of her subjects and royal advisors, of her governess and her childhood friends. People long gone and long dead, just like the rest of Altea.

Ten thousands years was what the Paladins had said. The weight of so many years…or in her case, decaphoebs…wore down on her whenever she thought about it. So she tried not to think about it. She remembered it as though it were yesterday, which to her it was…in a sense. In that pod in a state of suspended animation, it had all passed in the blink of an eye. But of course, everything had been so different. She couldn't even begin to comprehend just how much time ten thousands years was like.

"Ten thousand years ago, we humans didn't even have civilization," Pidge had told her. "We hadn't even invented agriculture yet. We were just a bunch of cave people hunting mammoths and being scared of fire. And now look at us!"

Allura didn't know much about what Pidge was saying, but she'd smiled and nodded anyway. Besides, she had gotten the gist of the conversation. Ten thousand years ago humans didn't have civilization, and after such a long extent of time, now they were almost equals of Alteans. Well, not quite, but they were able to get to space. Which counted for something, she supposed.

Lotor began moaning and stirring in his sleep, and Allura reached for the prison dress, ready to slip it on quickly.

She watched him with hawk eyes. He groaned, his muscles twitched, his feet moved, and then he was still again, eyes still closed.

She sighed and dropped the dress.

Thank goodness she didn't have to put it back on yet.

She checked the monitors again. Sixteen parsecs until the Castle of Lions. Just sixteen parsecs between her, a healing bath, some decent clothes, and a nice warm bed. That, and all her friends.

Coran was probably worried sick, but he'd received notification that they were on their way.

Just stay calm, Coran, Allura thought. Just stay there and we'll be there soon. I promise you.

She checked the communications again. Nothing since the one message had gone out. She didn't want to send out anymore, in case the signals might be intercepted or tracked. She just had to trust that they were still at the coordinates.

Behind her, Lotor was starting to wake up, though she didn't know it. He was quiet, still, as his eyes slowly opened and his consciousness came flooding back to him. He knew where he was, and what had happened, though his vision was still fuzzy. He blinked several times, and rubbed his eyes to get rid of the crust.

He started to lean up when he caught sight of Allura.

She wasn't facing him; she was standing at the dashboard, reading the message she'd sent Coran again and again. Lotor's eyes ran up and down her body.

Beneath her fluffy white hair she was naked, and he swallowed. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. He tried to stop his eyes but he couldn't. He glanced down to her bare legs and ass right in front of him, so close that he could reach out and touch her with barely a reach.

His heart was pounding again, and all sorts of wicked thoughts ran through his head. Allura standing naked right in front of him, as though she wanted him to see her, as if she was planning this. He didn't know if he should alert her or not. He kept quiet as he debated it. But when he saw the prison dress sitting right next to her hand, and her fingers twitching, ready to grab it at any moment, he thought better of it.

Still, he couldn't help but continue to stare. She was so beautiful, and seeing her naked like this…

He wondered what her front side looked like. He pictured her breasts just beneath her curly white hair, her flat stomach, her hips so smooth beneath the grip of his hands, and soft white curls in between her legs, the scent just beckoning for him to taste her.

Lotor felt himself stiffening between his legs.

He laid back down, closed his eyes, and started groaning like he was about to wake up. He heard Allura panic and rush to put the prison dress back on. When he was sure she was dressed again, he rolled his arms and flexed his legs before sitting up and opening his eyes.

"Good to see you, Allura," Lotor said, his voice a bit shaky. "I hope I wasn't out for too long."

"No, not at all," Allura replied, her voice just as shaky as his. "I was only checking to see how many more parsecs there are. Fifteen and half now! Oh, I'm sorry. Fourteen and a half! Silly me!" She tried to smile at him, but it looked too cheesy and fake for him to believe.

He couldn't help but laugh at her expression.

"Is something the matter?" Lotor asked her innocently. He kept flexing his legs, trying to get his erection to go down. So far, it wasn't helping.

"No, not at all!" Allura exclaimed. Even she had to grimace at how fake that sounded.

"If you want, I could go back to sleep," Lotor said. "Give you some more alone time…for whatever it was you were doing."

"I wasn't doing anything," Allura said. Automatically she felt like a guilty child hiding the evidence behind her back. She couldn't even blame Lotor for the shameless laughter that escaped him.

"Really, Allura, if you want me to tap out for a few more vargas… Though truth be told, I'm not really tired anymore." Lotor thought for a moment before asking, "Are you tired, Allura? I've been selfishly taking up this entire chair. It's your turn now."

"I…I would like that. Thank you," Allura said.

Lotor got up from the pilot's seat, but his erection still hadn't gone down yet. Luckily Allura didn't notice as she sat down in the seat and laid back, stretching out and then curling up. Lotor wanted to turn around to wish her a good sleep, but decided against it. He couldn't risk her seeing the large bulge between his legs. It wasn't the most obvious thing beneath his armor, but there was still the possibility that she might have noticed.

"Sleep well," Lotor said.

"I'm not sure I can sleep," Allura said. "This dress is so horrible, and I'm not tired enough to sleep through it this time."

"That's unfortunate," Lotor said. His erection was finally starting to go down, but he didn't turn around just yet. "If you would like, I'll tie a blindfold around my eyes."

"Why would I…?" Allura began to ask before the realization dawned on her. "I! I would never do such a thing!" she shouted at him.

"Of course not, princess," Lotor said with a smirk.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

* * *

Ten parsecs left.

Allura had no idea time could move so slowly. She'd never found herself prone to boredom, but it was hard not to whenever she and Lotor ran out of conversation.

"So what else can you tell me about Zinthele?" Allura asked him.

"Truthfully, I've told you all I possibly could. Not just about that planet but every single planet that I know of. And some I don't." Lotor sighed. "I think I'm drained of all information."

"You could tell me about your generals again. Maybe you left something out?"

"I'm not exactly prone to gossip," Lotor said.

"I didn't mean it like that!" Allura stammered.

"I know you didn't," Lotor said with a chuckle, "but that's what I'd have to resort to. I've told you everything I could think of. We've done the impossible. We've run out of conversation."

"Oh, there's no such thing," Allura said. "There may be a lag in conversation, but you can't possibly be out of it. We just need to think more creatively is all. There's still plenty to talk about!"

"Like what?" Lotor asked her.

"Well, uh…" Allura thought for a moment. "What…kind of…music do you like?"

"I don't really listen to music. When I do, I'm just happy to hear it, so I listen to whatever I can," Lotor replied.

"Oh."

"What about you?" he asked.

"Oh. Well, I like to listen to old court music. I've got plenty on record, so whenever I feel nostalgic I can go and listen to it and pretend like I'm still on Altea."

"I see," Lotor said sadly.

Allura realized that music was a dead topic, so she moved on. "What about stories? Do you have any favorite stories?" Allura asked.

"Some. There's an old Galran story about the diligent warrior and the lazy warrior. My governess used to tell me that story almost daily. Eventually it got so ingrained in my brain that I can almost repeat it word for word," Lotor said. "To be perfectly honest, though, I'd sooner cut off my own hand than have to hear it again. But there's another story I can remember fairly well. One that I actually like. It's from a long forgotten planet that was abandoned decaphoebs ago…"

"What was it about?" Allura asked.

"It was about this flower on top of a mountain. The flower was magical, and it had the power to grant anyone's wish. Anyone who possessed it would live forever young, healthy, and happy, but the flower grew on a poisonous land where thorny vines grew wild, so no one ever climbed to try to reach it, and eventually the flower got old and died, and it's corpse still lay forgotten there, as nothing but a memory to those who know it's story," Lotor said.

"We have a similar story on Altea," Allura replied, trying her best to keep the conversation going.

"Tell me more about it," Lotor said.

"Well...um...long ago there was a princess who was dying, and so that she did not die in vain the people decided to have her as a sacrifice to the gods. But she didn't want to die, and so she proclaimed that anyone who could journey should, and to go find her a medicinal flower that would cure the land of a plague that was to be an epidemic. But no one did because the journey there was very long and it would take a lot of perseverance. So the day came for her to be sacrificed, and when she was burned the virus from her dead body lived on, and the plague was spread, and the medicine that could cure the plague was never discovered, and even today no one knows what that miracle medicinal flower is."

"I feel like there's some parts missing," Lotor said. "Plus it sounds nothing like what I just said."

"Yeah, there are," Allura said, ignoring what Lotor about the similarities. "A lot of parts are missing but that's pretty much all I can remember. I was only a child when I first heard it."

"It's a lot more realistic than mine," Lotor said. "Perhaps based on actual fact instead of local mythology."

"That's what I've always believed," Allura said. "People used to tell it whenever someone complained that their journey would be too long. They'd always say that if people didn't complain about long, hard walks, we'd have better medicine. Or something along those lines."

"Is that so?" Lotor asked. "I've never heard anything like that happening on Altea."

"Well, it was mostly just a passing story. Something to tell someone when they were being lazy and didn't want to walk for more than a quintant."

"I never knew that. Tell me another one, if you would. One more common," Lotor said.

"Okay. Let me think…" Allura said, putting a finger to her chin.

Lotor smiled. "You're cute when you do that."

Allure blushed. "You're just trying to get another kiss out of me," she said.

They both glanced away from each other when she said that. Of course, it was kind of hard for them not to be feeling so awkward when Allura was sitting on his lap again, with both of Lotor's arms wrapped around her waist, and Allura leaned up against his shoulder again.

"Alright, I have one. Once, there was this tree that grew taller and stronger than any other tree in the land, and it was known as the King of Trees—"

"And the tree gets too arrogant and is eventually felled by the wind," Lotor finished.

"Yeah, that's right," Allura said. "The lesson was humility is best for the kings."

"Tell me another one," Lotor said.

"No, I'm sure you'd find all of them boring anyway. Especially if you know the endings to the common ones."

"I could never find Altean stories boring," Lotor said.

"You really want to be Altean, don't you?" Allura asked. Her mouth snapped shut when she realized what she'd said. She looked at Lotor, wide-eyed and apologetic.

Lotor looked down at his hands before looking back up at her. "Yes. In a sense. I know my Galra side all too well, but my Altean side I knew almost nothing of. I wish I could have known Altea, experienced it for myself. I used to try to get Haggar to tell me about it, but she would never speak to me of it. Ever. Sometimes I think that I'd be happier if I were fully Altean, like you. The culture…it's not so oppressive."

"I wouldn't say that," Allura said, her mind running back to all those lonely days spend inside, not allowed to talk, made to sit so still that she felt like a sculpture. "Every culture has its drawbacks. Altea was no different. There are things we practiced that we never should have; violent things, shameful things, things that any rational creature would be against. But they happened."

"Like what?" Lotor asked.

Allura shook her head. "Just things," she replied. "I'd rather not speak of them."

"Are they really that terrible?" Lotor asked. "Surely they are nothing compared to the Galra culture of the last ten thousand decaphoebs." He thought for a moment. "Are they things like the sacrificial burning you were talking about in the story? From what I've read, that had been so out of practice that it was considered ancient even when you were born."

"You'd be surprised," muttered Allura, thinking back to when those small creatures tried to appease her as a goddess, and then had lit a bonfire, threatening to all jump in it. "But let's not talk about that. Let's talk about something more positive."

"More positive?" Lotor asked her. "Well, recommend something then."

"How about how grateful I am that you rescued me?" Allura said. "Or how grateful I am that you joined Voltron? Or how grateful I am that we now have more allies than ever before thanks to you?"

"You flatter me," Lotor said awkwardly.

"It's true," Allura said. "Thanks to you, so much more has become possible. Things that I never even dreamed of. Together with you, we went to Oriadne together, experienced the quintessence field, discovered parts of Altea and Altean magic that I thought were either myth or lost to time forever. You've helped me discovered parts of myself that I didn't even know existed, and you could be the key to finally ending this war."

Lotor's skin had turned dark purple with a blush.

He honestly didn't know what to say, but the wide smile on his face and the soft look in his eyes said it all.

Allura wanted so badly to lean forward and kiss him in that moment, but she resisted. She could only put her forehead on his cheek and rub her thumb down his cheekbone. She remembered the glowing Altean marks she had seen on him, so bright and vivid. The Mark of the Chosen. And they were still there on his cheeks, the same color of the purple of his skin, hidden in plain sight. She wondered if she would ever get to see his marks glowing again; he had been so happy, so dumbfounded, so beautiful...

Lotor looked at her, something so intimate and unspoken in his eyes, but Allura knew what it meant instantly. It was the same look they had shared at Oriadne, and when they had first faced Zarkon together. It was something that connected them better than anything else ever would.

He hugged her tighter to his body and laid his forehead against the crown of her head.

"Thank you," was all Lotor could manage to say.

"I only speak the truth," Allura replied.

"I know you do," Lotor said.

His hands traveled up her hips to the sides of her arms, his fingers lightly touching the sides of her ribs. A soft sigh escaped from Allura, and Lotor smiled up against her hair.

"Your hair smells nice," Lotor said.

"Thank you," Allura said. "What does it smell like?"

Lotor breathed deep and thought for a moment. "Like paradise," he whispered.

Allura's skin felt hot to the touch. She put a hand to her cheek, feeling the flaming blush that was sure to be on her face at that moment.

Lotor's nose brushed up against hers. Allura leaned forward, closer to him. It was hard to resist now. He was so close to her, she could feel his breath on her skin, see his delicate eyelashes, sense the closeness of his lips to hers. She parted her lips, about to lean forward when Lotor interrupted.

"Do we have enough water?" he asked.

Allura leaned back. "I believe so," she said, trying to hide the disappointment in her voice. She had been so excited about to kiss him; now she was dragged back to their rather harsh reality.

"How much?"

"Enough. I've been drinking a little, trying to conserve it," Allura said. "Have you had any?"

"A little," Lotor admitted. "What about sustenance?"

"Again, we have just enough to last, so long as we pace ourselves," Allura told him. "Besides, it won't be too long before we're back at the castle. We'll have plenty of water and sustenance there."

Lotor tilted his head to the side.

"Are you thirsty?" Allura asked him.

"Yes," he admitted. "I…I've needed some for a while, I just didn't want to say anything…"

"Why not?" Allura asked him. Already she was crawling off of his lap, searching for the container of water.

"Didn't want to ruin the moment, I suppose," he whispered.

Allura didn't know what to say to that, so she just put the water container in his hands. She watched as he swallowed small gulps of it, trying his best to pace himself. As he tilted his head back, she could see his exposed throat, and she wondered what it would be like to wrap her fingers around it.

Would he have let her? Especially if he knew she wasn't intending to be violent? Would he like it? She knew she would have; to have Lotor's long fingers curled around her throat, delicately gripping her, the smallest pinprick of his claws as he dragged his hand down to her collarbone and then down to her breast.

"You should have some, too," Lotor said, passing the water container to her.

Allura nodded and took a little water herself. It tasted so heavenly.

"Don't drink too much," Lotor said.

Allura stopped drinking, realizing she had probably swallowed too much. She set the container down, and a small trickle of water ran down her chin. Before she could wipe it away, Lotor's finger brushed against her, swiping the water away.

Allura sheepishly smiled.

Lotor's arms were back around her, pulling her closer to him, letting her rest against his chest, her head on his shoulder.

Allura parted her lips, wanting so badly to kiss him.

She leaned back up and looked at him, searching his face for some kind of sign. He looked back at her, his eyes still soft and thoughtful. There was a smile on his lips. His fingers were holding her tight.

She knew he felt the same way. He must have wanted her. She could tell by the way his fingers were rubbing circles into her skin.

Allura breathed deep, closed her eyes, and kissed him.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

* * *

Lotor's eyes closed as he kissed her.

There was no doubt in his mind that he was enraptured with her. He'd realized that parsecs ago, and ever since then, he'd been wanting and waiting for Allura to make some kind of move, or say something sweet. He wanted to be with her, and for her to be with him, and to be able to touch her, to hold her close, to be intimate in some way…in many ways.

Allura was slow and patient, testing the waters and learning the shape of his lips, the style of his kisses. He was just as slow, taking the kiss as calmly as he could despite the excitement racing through his veins.

He held her tighter, and Allura's arms wrapped around his neck as he did so. A soft moan slipped past his lips as she did so, and it made Allura deepen the kiss between them.

She pressed her lips harder up against his, and her kisses became quicker and more demanding. She nipped at his bottom lip, pulling another soft moan from Lotor. His hands traveled from her lower back up to her shoulder blades, his claws coming out as he raked his fingers down the rough fabric.

Allura winced as he did so, and he stilled his hands, remembering how painful that garment was against her skin.

"Sorry," he gasped up against her. "I…I forgot about the prison dress…"

"It's alright," Allura said, quickly looking down at that damned dress. "I'll be out of it soon enough."

Lotor swallowed heavily. He knew what she meant, but he couldn't help but picture her ridding herself of the dress right here and now. Memories of her standing naked in front of him filled his mind, and so did the desire to see it again. To be able to run his ungloved hands down her naked body, grip her ass in his hands, to kiss her breasts and her stomach, to put his tongue between her legs…

His cock was starting to harden.

Allura leaned back in to kiss him more, and she put Lotor's hands around her again. He decided to cup her face in his hands. It felt so sweet holding her like that, but it did nothing to calm the fire that was burning inside him.

Allura could practically hear his heart beating; could practically taste the desire on his tongue. Her eyes fluttered open, and she peered at him through her lashes.

Slowly, she slid her hand from behind his back to his neck. Slowly, she wrapped her fingers around his exposed neck, tightening them experimentally, seeing how Lotor would react.

He closed his eyes and groaned quietly, reveling in the feeling. He'd never thought such vulnerability would feel so good, but when she tightened her grip even more, he couldn't help but shift his hips up. Her hand gripped his throat for only a couple ticks before she pulled her hand away.

Lotor gasped slightly, his eyes snapping open to watch her hand return to behind his body so she could hug him again. He panted, and pulled her into another kiss, one hotter and more passionate than before. He didn't try to stop his hips from shifting again, and he managed to pull a soft moan from Allura as he did so.

Allura broke the kiss and pressed her lips up against his jaw, traveling down to his neck, where she kissed and nibbled slightly. Her hands went up to his hair, running her fingers up his scalp as she gave his neck her full attention.

Allura wasn't even aware that she was rocking her hips against him until his hands stilled her. A blush came to her face, but she wasn't embarrassed. She was excited and comfortable and too far aroused to be embarrassed at this.

"Lotor…" she said, her voice low and steady.

"Allura," he returned.

She could see it in his eyes. Never had she been so enamored with someone before, but Lotor was everything to her. Everything and more. She couldn't have even began to express how happy he made her, or how her heart swelled when she saw him. He was more than an ally, more than a friend, more than a beacon of hope.

He was Lotor, and she loved him.

She really did love him.

When Lotor smelled the wetness between her legs, he groaned and nuzzled his nose into the crook of her neck. "Allura," he said, "we shouldn't do anything we're going to regret."

"I don't plan on regretting anything," Allura said. "All I regret is not doing this sooner."

Lotor smiled up against her skin before pressing a kiss against the crook of her neck.

"You're too kind," Lotor whispered, and kissed her neck again.

Allura cupped his face in her hands and pressed another kiss to his lips. He eagerly returned it, his hands beginning to stroke up and down her back as softly as he could, careful not to irritate the fabric on her skin. He moved his hands from her back to the front of her, carefully, slowly, experimentally moving his hands up to her breasts. He cupped them for only a moment before pulling away, opening his eyes to see the look on her face.

She took one of his hands and put it back on her breast.

"That feels good," she whispered.

"Even with that horrible prison dress?" he asked.

"Yeah, even with that," Allura said. "Of course, it would feel better in my normal clothes."

Or no clothes at all, Lotor thought to himself.

Allura tried to hide her blush with her hair.

"What's wrong?" Lotor asked, noticing her pull away from him.

"I could…just remove it," Allura said.

She didn't turn around to look at Lotor's face. She didn't know how he would react, but she knew she couldn't look him in the eye right that moment. Still, she heard the hitch in his breath, and felt one of his legs jerk slightly. Her fingers played with his hair as she worked up the nerve to turn back around to him.

Sure enough, the look on his face was one of disbelief and…and joy. Allura thought as much, but she couldn't hold his gaze for longer than a few ticks.

"Allura…" Lotor said, but unsure of what to say next. Just her name felt like it was enough. Allura, Allura, Allura…

"I presume you know what I'm suggesting," Allura said. "I've just never had to courage to ask you before, or to kiss you, or invite you into my bed."

Lotor pulled her in for another kiss. "Better now than never," he whispered right before their lips pressed together again.

He's right, Allura thought.

Her hands went to the hem of her prison dress and slowly she started to pull it up, up to her thighs before she had to stop and readjust.

"Here, let me help with that," Lotor said, his hands replacing her own as he slid the dress up off her body.

The sight of her bare skin nearly sent him into a frenzy. As Allura sat back down onto his lap, wrapping her arms around his neck, Lotor removed his gloves and tossed them down onto the floor. Allura glanced at his hands as he stroked her cheek with his thumb. His claws were out again, now that he was excited. Allura put her hand over his, rubbing up against his knuckles and feeling the pointed tips of his claws.

He ran his free hand down her bare back, feeling the curve of her spine and the softness of her skin. He stopped just short of her waist, not knowing if he should grope her there or not. His thoughts flashed back to the memory of her naked only vargas before, as he stole glances that he shouldn't have.

"Put your hands on me, Lotor," Allura whispered as she guided his hand to her breast.

He did just that.

Lotor pinched her nipple between her fingers, just barely scraping his claws across her soft brown skin. Allura moaned and kissed his neck, letting her tongue flick over his pulse. Lotor whimpered and grabbed her, squeezing her skin before running his hand back up her back, then back down her back again. His other hand rolled her nipple before he splayed his fingers and help her breast, weighing them in his palms. His hands were so big that his fingers reached her collarbone as he massaged her breast.

Allura buried her fingers in his soft white hair and sucked on his neck, moaning whenever his fingers pressed into her skin, his nails scratching up against her. She raked her nails down his scalp and the back of his neck, and gently put her teeth on his neck, loving the reaction she got from him.

Lotor threw his head back, his hips lifting up in the seat. "Allura…" he breathed.

She pushed his head forward, trying to get his neck closer, to hold him as close as possible. His hips lifted and rolled in his seat, and Allura couldn't help but shift her own hips. The blood was rushing between her legs and she felt desperate to relief the sweet, sweet ache.

"Lotor, please…" Allura moaned.

His hand moved from her breast and traveled down to her hip, then in between her thighs, goading her to part them.

Slowly, Allura parted her thighs, letting Lotor's hand slide in between them. His fingers, long and deft, reached out and met the slick wetness of her labia.

Allura moaned and nibbled on his neck, his name on her lips as he slid his finger up and down her labia, from the top of her clitoris all the way down to her opening. Allura spread her legs wider, and Lotor began circling her clitoris with his fingers, making small circles are it. Allura's nails bit into his skin as her legs spasmed, unable to control her body as he played with her.

"Lotor," she said, smiling, "Lotor, please…"

Lotor's fingers moved away from her clit and went down to her opening. He was about to slide his middle finger inside of her when he suddenly remembered his claws. They were sharp and long and sure to leave damage if he thrust them inside of her.

"Allura," he said, standing up with her in his arms.

"What…what are you doing?" Allura asked.

Lotor sat her down on the pilot's chair and knelt at her feet, his hands on both of her knees.

"Let me do this for you," Lotor said, his hands guiding her knees apart. "Lay back, please."

"If you insist," Allura said, leaning back on the seat and parting her legs again. It made her a bit uncomfortable to have Lotor looking at her so intimately like that, his eyes glued to her labia.

His fingers were back, teasing her clitoris briefly before he leaned forward and put his tongue on her.

Allura jumped and her voice filled the entire ship as Lotor's tongue moved up against her. Within ticks, her legs were shaking and Lotor had to steady them to be able to work. His tongue went up and down her labia, licking up every part of her that he could, and he toyed with her entrance by pushing his tongue against her. Allura groaned and grabbed onto the chair, her hair, his hair, her hair again.

He pulled away, looking at Allura, panting and squirming and moaning for all she was worth. When she felt the absence of his tongue, she looked down at him with half-closed eyes, wondering why he had stopped, looking at his face—his beautiful face—his lips parted and just a breath away from her body.

"Lotor…" she breathed.

Lotor kissed her inner thigh sweetly, rubbing circles into her thighs with his thumbs, before he went back to her clitoris. He swirled his tongue around it, making Allura writhe against the seat. Her fingers gripped her hair, needing to hold onto something, anything, but she kept needing to feel Lotor in her own hands. She put her hands on him again and again, from his hair to his shoulders to gripping his hands in her own, weaving their fingers together.

Lotor held her hands in his, not letting them go no matter how Allura moved. He gripped her tight enough to keep them there, but Allura's hands were like vices around his as she felt herself edging closer to climax.

Her voice was becoming more slurred and her moans had become nearly feral as Lotor moved his tongue up and down on her clitoris, not letting up for even half a tick. She was so close, and he was going to get her there; he was going to make her come for him and scream his name and murmur sweet nothings as he toyed with her.

"Oh…yes, yes, yes," Allura hissed.

Her back was arching off the seat, her toes were pointed, her head thrown back…

Lotor looked up at her as he licked her, watching her writhe for him. Allura briefly glanced down at him, at his mouth pressed up against her body, his hands intertwined with hers, his eyes glinting as he stared at her, watching her every movement, hearing her every breath, feeling every twitch of her muscle.

Allura couldn't hold his gaze. She was coming and she had to lean her head back and groan.

"Lo—tor!" she was just barely able to say.

Her entire body shook as she came, white hot pleasure racing through her body.

"Lotor!"

He didn't stop. He kept licking and kissing her until her entire body relaxed, her limbs going limp as she sunk into the pilot's chair, every inch of her body having released its need for orgasm.

"Lotor…" she murmured lovingly, pulling her hands away to stroke his cheeks.

Lotor smiled at her, and pressed more kisses up against her skin. He left a trail of kisses from her stomach all the way up to her neck and then to her lips, where Allura tried to match his quick, frenzied kisses.

"Allura," her moaned up against her lips.

His eyes slid closed as he pressed himself up against her, kissing her with every bit of passion he had in him, his hands wrapping around her body to feel her close to him. He kissed her so deeply that they were both left gasping when he pulled away. Ticks passed before they were both able to open their eyes again.

Allura could see the need, the love, the passion… Everything that was in his eyes was conveyed to her, and she wanted more of it. She wanted to be a part of it, for him to feel the same kind of pleasure that she had.

"You should take this off," Allura whispered, glancing down at his armor.

"Right," Lotor said, moving to take off his chest and shoulder braces. Then his grieves. Then he went to work on his under layers, stripping them off until his body was fully exposed to her.

Allura looked him over, her eyes drinking in the sight of his purple skin, his toned muscles, and the collection of scars he had on various places. Some had healed long ago, leaving only the faintest traces of discoloration, others were newer and were in the final stages of healing.

"Is something wrong, princess?" Lotor asked her, noticing how quiet and still she had become.

Allura looked back up to his eyes. "No," she said, "nothing at all."

Lotor raised himself on his knees, pulling Allura close to him. He kissed her more, savoring every single kiss that passed between the two of them. His hands stroked up and down her back, massaging her before he reached down to her butt and groped her. That earned him a bite of Allura's nails on his shoulders and a snap of her teeth far too close to his tongue.

"Lean back," Lotor whispered in her ear.

Allura leaned back, sliding as far back as she could to give Lotor room. He crawled onto the seat with her, his body towered over hers as he leaned over her, his arms on either side of her, his face mere inches away, his long white hair spilling over his shoulders and falling onto Allura's.

Allura's hands wrapped around his arms, feeling the tense muscles as she slid her hands up and up, to his biceps, to his neck, to his jaw. She pulled his face down, kissing him. As Lotor lowered his body onto hers, she could feel his erection pressed up against her leg, warm and thick.

Her breath caught in her throat. She tried glancing down, but there was nothing to see other than Lotor's closed eyes close to hers, the purple of his skin and the soft, delicate lashes, the hair of his eyebrows, the way he looked so happy and at peace kissing her.

Allura smiled so wide that she broke the kiss.

Lotor opened his eyes. "Allura…?"

"Is there anything special I need to do?" Allura asked him.

"What?" he asked. Then, "Oh, I see." Lotor took a deep breath and shook his head, "No. Nothing. Just keep doing what you're doing."

"I can do that easily," Allura said with a smile. "But do I need to do anything more? I feel like there's something…"

"Raise your hips more," Lotor whispered. "That and part your legs more. Please."

Allura did just that; raising her hips and parting her legs, putting one leg on either side of Lotor's body. She waited while Lotor reached down between their legs, grabbing his cock and stroking it slowly. He didn't take his eyes off of her's even for a tick. His breath ghosted over her skin, his hips moved up against hers, his forehead met hers and their noses brushed together.

Lotor kept stroking himself, slowly and pointedly.

"Why are you waiting?" Allura asked.

"My apologies, princess," he said with a quiet chuckle. Still, he didn't make any move to go into her. He only kissed her neck, ghosting his teeth across her skin as he did so.

"Lotor…" Allura nearly whined.

"Don't be so impatient," Lotor whispered. "Let me take my time. I don't want this to end."

"And I don't want you to stop," Allura whispered back. "Please…don't stop…"


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

* * *

Lotor couldn't resist her plea.

Especially not with the way she was moaning his name, sliding her hands over his body, moving her hips up against his in eager anticipation. And her gaze…when she gave him that look he knew that he couldn't have resisted her even if he wanted to.

Lotor's lips locked onto her, kissing her with every ounce of passion he had within him. Allura moaned into the kiss, her back arching slightly, her hands roaming up and down his back and over his hair, tangling it as she gripped it. He nipped at her lip, and Allura nipped right back.

He laughed and caught her gaze again.

He reached down between them again, positioning himself between her legs.

The tip of his cock brushed against her labia, and Allura closed her eyes, reveling in the feeling. He slid his cock up and down the length of her slit, teasing her opening before swiping up to her clit, pressing up against it. Allura groaned and whimpered at the sensation, her body starting to writhe all over again.

"Stop teasing," Allura said, a wide smile splitting across her face as she opened her eyes. "Lotor…I want you…please…" Her cheeks darkened as the words left her lips, but she voice didn't waver. Not even a bit.

"Say it again," Lotor whispered in her ear, his fangs ghosting over the point of her ear. He was teasing her entrance now, only the tip of his cock pressing up against her, ready to slide into her with a single thrust forward.

"Lotor…" Allura breathed, "I want you."

Her eyes glinted and Lotor kissed her cheek. He loved hearing those words. To hear that someone wanted him…not even in a sexual way, but just in general…to hear those words. It was so…satisfying. Knowing he was wanted, maybe even needed; it made his heart swell and his entire body feel warm and tingly.

"Lotor," Allura repeated, her hands tightening in his hair and her nails biting into his scalp.

He thrust forward, pushing his body into hers, making Allura gasp and moan, her legs shake and her eyes scrunch close, her back arch and then lay flat again. She was breathing hard, her lips parted, and she was holding him tight. A smile spread across her face as she waited for Lotor to thrust into her again. Her legs wrapped around his waist and she started pressing kisses to his skin, anywhere and everywhere she could reach.

"Allura," Lotor breathed, a smile spreading across his face and revealing the sharp flash of fangs.

He lay still, waiting for Allura to look into his face. She did, setting her eyes on his. His gaze was intense as he drew his hips back and surged forward again. Allura's lips parted in a silent gasp, her eyelids fluttering but not closing. She held his gaze; steady, intense, fiery. Their foreheads nearly touched, their noses brushed together, their breath mingled together, their hands gripped each other strong and steady.

Lotor thrust himself in and out of her, his pace quickening as he slowly lost himself in the pleasure of it all. Allura felt so heavenly, and she looked so beautiful; her body was intoxicating, her moans and whimpers and grunts addicting, and her smile…he could have lost himself in her smile.

But her eyes…nothing could have compared to her eyes. Not the bounce of her breasts with each smack of their bodies together, not the way her legs squeezed around his waist as fiery pleasure spread throughout her body, not the way her cunt constricted and pulsed around his cock as he moved in her.

Nothing could take his gaze away from her eyes.

Not even his sudden and intense orgasm could do that.

He moaned loudly, the small spaceship echoing with the sound of his voice. Allura grabbed his neck, her fingers tight on his jaw and his body spasmed, his hips thrusting erratically as he buried his cock in her, stroking himself to completion. But his eyes stayed fixed on hers.

He looked so beautiful when he came. Allura saw the look of pure pleasure and vulnerability spread across his features, the erratic thrusting of his hips only heightening her pleasure while he struggled to regain control of himself.

She loved it, the way he had lost control and simply felt. No decorum, no hiding, no fronts. Just him and her and the raw, sensual experience of making love in the pilot's seat of a stolen spaceship.

When Lotor regained his composure, he closed his eyes and leaned his forehead up against her shoulder, kissing and sucking on her skin.

"I'm sorry," he said. "I meant to last longer."

"You have nothing to apologize for," Allura told him, wrapping her arms around his neck and holding him close. "I thoroughly enjoyed every tick of it." She smiled and kissed the side of his face, over and over again until Lotor turned his head.

"I didn't want it to end," Lotor said. His hand went to one of her breasts, gently cupping it. "Not so soon, anyway."

"Well, there's always—" Allura stopped herself.

She was about to say, 'Well, there's always another time.' But would there be another time? She wasn't sure; she knew she wanted there to be. She wanted to hold Lotor like this every night, to be able to feel him and have him make her come. She wanted to sleep with him in her own bed and have him touch every inch of her body from dawn to dusk. She wanted to make love over and over again until time stopped and they both left for the afterlife together, having conquered Zarkon and ended the war.

She was getting carried away with her fantasies when Lotor's sudden shift snapped her right out of it.

He was rolling them both over, so that Allura now laid on top of his body, cradled in his arms and her head in the crook of his neck. He kissed her forehead before leaning back, pulling Allura tighter to him.

"We're not far from the castle now. Five parsecs. When we reach four parsecs, we need to slow our speed and prepare to dock," Lotor said.

"Of course," Allura replied. "But until then, we could just lay here." Allura closed her eyes and snuggled into him. "Just lay here and forget everything for a little while. Just you and me."

Lotor kissed her forehead again, slowly and sweetly.

"I would like nothing better," he told her.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

* * *

Lotor set the seat upright, but that didn't stop them from cuddling into one another. Allura still sat on his lap, Lotor's arms wrapped around her and a single arm wrapped around him. Her forehead rested on his chest as the two of them sat there naked, counting down the moments until they had to get dressed again.

Allura was dreading it. It felt so nice to not be wearing that damned prison dress that she wished she could just remain naked until she got to her own closet. And remaining naked the rest of the ride there was just as appealing as it was practical.

When they reached four parsecs, Lotor leaned forward, reaching for the controls to slow the ship considerably. Allura was able to feel the decrease in speed, the sensation of unimaginable speed no longer making her body tingle and heart pound.

"Now how long until we reach the castle?" Allura asked him.

"About three vargas," Lotor replied. "There's—uh—there's still time."

"Are the communications still disabled?"

"Yes. I don't plan on turning them on at all. We can't risk this ship being tracked," Lotor said.

"So what are we going to do?" Allura asked him. "Simply dispose of it the first chance we get?"

"It's a possibility," Lotor said. "I'm not sure what more we could do. Perhaps the green paladin could rewire the entire system, or search for any type of tracking device that could even possibly give away our location. But I'd still be wary piloting this ship."

Allura nodded up against him.

"Do you need more water?" Lotor asked her.

"No, I've had enough for now," Allura said. "Do you?"

"I would prefer it," Lotor said.

Allura reached over for the bottle, handing it over to him. He drank deep, his head tilted back as the last few gulps of it was swallowed. He stopped before he finished it all, though, knowing it wouldn't be wise to exhaust their entire water supply until they were safe again.

"Your neck is so beautiful," Allura murmured, her hand traveling up to his throat.

Allura wrapped her fingers around his neck, her thumb sliding over his skin. Lotor peered down at her, the sensation of her hand on his neck thrilling him. She didn't squeeze, but simply let her hands roam, only the occasional tight grip that made Lotor's heart pound before she released him.

Lotor tilted his head all the way back, loving the sensation. It wasn't the first time someone had grabbed his neck, but it was the first time anyone had done it without intending to choke him. It made the familiar sensation so foreign, and adrenaline was sent coursing through him.

Lotor moaned, sending vibrations through Allura's fingers.

Curiously, Allura tightened her grip on Lotor's throat, squeezing until he gripped her wrist to stop her. He looked down at her, his thumb running over her hand. Allura withdrew her hand and noticed something.

"Your claws aren't out," she said.

"They probably won't be until some time," Lotor replied. "Not until the castle, at least."

"Why not?" Allura asked.

"Well, uh…" Lotor's entire face blushed and his ears felt hot. "It's because I am…in recovery…" he tried to say.

"Recovery?" Allura asked. "Recovery from what?"

Lotor tried to say something, but his silence was all the answer Allura needed.

"Oh," she said, a blush appearing on her own cheeks. "I understand."

She looked back down at his hand and intertwined her fingers with his. She rubbed a single finger across the tip of his nails, short and blunt and mesmerizing. She lifted his hand to her lips and kissed his fingers, one by one.

"Are you trying to excite me, again?" Lotor asked her.

"Not at all," Allura said, "only trying to show you how much I appreciate your company."

Lotor smiled and watched as Allura kissed his fingers, slowly, one by one, before simply putting his hand on her cheek and leaning into his touch.

They stayed like that for the next two parsecs before Lotor sighed and said, "We should start getting dressed again."

Allura stood up and Lotor went for his clothing and armor, but she made no move to pick up her prison dress. Lotor looked at her curiously, arching a brow at her as he slid back into his undergarments.

"That dress is so irritable that I'm not putting it on yet," Allura said. "I'll let it sit there until it's absolutely necessary."

Lotor chuckled. "As you wish, princess."

"You try wearing it," Allura shot at him. "It's horrible. My skin feels so raw and painful in that dress."

Lotor chuckled again. "I'm quite aware of that. I've worn Galran prison garments myself before."

Allura tilted her head to the side. "Did you? When was that?"

"Oh, a long time ago. Back when I was exile, and I refused to simply let Zarkon and his forces attack planets for no reason. I was quite the nuisance when I was younger." He thought for a moment. "I suppose I still am a nuisance. In many ways. Perhaps more so now than then."

Allura remained quiet, her mind wondering just what Lotor was like all those decaphoebs ago. A young, exiled prince defying his father's demands and stopping his attacks, only to be captured and taken prisoner, forced to wear the same sharp burlap dress that she had worn. What had his punishments been? What kind of torture had he endured? What could he have possibly endured at the hands of his own family, his own race, his own empire by extension?

The last of Lotor's garments snapped into place. He smoothed down his tousled, tangled hair until he looked as though they'd never been intimate. Only his lack of claws were evidence of what had transpired, and no one would ever notice. No one except her.

"Don't think on it too much," Lotor told her. "I can see it on your face that you're thinking painful thoughts."

"It must have been awful," Allura said. "What was it like? To be held prisoner by your father?"

Lotor turned to stare out the window, not wanting Allura to see the pain and anger on his face.

"It was difficult," Lotor said. "But it wasn't as bad as it could have been. I wasn't given any special torture because I was his son; it was almost as if I didn't exist, I was just another prisoner out of thousands, nothing more than a number and a body."

Lotor took a deep breath, trying to make the painful rage inside of him dispel. He calmed himself easily enough, but the awkward tension in the air wasn't so easily cleared.

"At least you're free now," Allura said. "You can make a difference. By aligning yourself with us and The Blade, you and the Coalition have a real chance of bringing Zarkon down and bringing peace to the universe."

"You're right about all that," Lotor said, "but how many more lives must be lost before we even come close to achieving that?"

"I don't know," Allura answered, "but there's hope, and in the end that's enough to keep us fighting."

Lotor turned back to her, a small, sad smile on his face. "I don't know how you can be so hopeful, but it's truly admirable," he told her. "Your optimism never fails to inspire me."

Allura's frown turned into a smile.

Lotor couldn't help but taken her hand in his and kiss her open palm, over and over again until his kisses were traveling up her arm, to her shoulder, to her neck, and stopping at her lips, still red and swollen from their intense sex kisses.

Allura stood up and Lotor picked her up in his arms, his hands resting on her ass as she wrapped her arms around his neck and legs around his waist. As Lotor's fingers sank into her skin, she felt his claws extend.

A beeping on the monitor made them both stopped. They turned to look at the screen, noticing the castle was less than a parsec away.

Lotor sighed and put her back down on the ground. He slowed their speed more and more until space no longer bent around them and they were simply traveling at a fairly normal pace. The speed was gradually decreasing, and by the time the Castle of Lions came into view, the ship was at a safe enough speed to dock.

Allura slipped her prison dress back on, cringing as the fabric scraped against her raw skin. The thought of the castle being so close—and by extension, soft clothes, a shower, and a warm bed—was the only thing that kept her wearing it. The end was almost near, the relief so close she could almost taste it.

"Should we open up communications to let them know it's us?" Allura asked. "After all, this is an enemy Galra ship, not the one you departed in."

"Do you think it's necessary?" Lotor asked. "You know the paladins better than anyone. Will they know it's us or will they refuse to let us board?"

Allura thought for a tick before saying, "They'll let us board without it. I'm fairly certain they'll deduce we're not enemies, despite the ship."

Lotor nodded and began piloting the ship into the castle's range. The docking station slowly came into view, but the port remained closed. They waited.

And waited.

And waited some more.

The hanger door still remained closed.

"Are you sure we don't need to open communications?" Lotor asked.

"Give them another dobosh," Allura said.

Still they did not open. Just as Lotor was about to risk it all and open the communications, the hanger doors slid open, just wide enough to let the small Galran ship into the castle. Lotor flew forward, the giant hanger doors closing behind them, and docked the ship.

Lotor and Allura stood up, gave each other one last look, and opened the top of the ship. Almost immediately they heard the paladins and Coran rushing towards them. And almost immediately, Lotor felt he needed another nap.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

* * *

Coran threw his arms around Allura, nearly sobbing in relief and happiness.

"I'm just so glad you're safe!" he cried. "I never would have forgiven myself if you weren't!"

"It's alright, Coran. I'm here now, safe and sound," Allura reassured him, patting his back as he squeezed her in his vice-like hug.

The rest of the paladins soon joined in on the hug, though not squeezing Allura breathless like Coran was. Eventually he loosened his grip, and the rest of the paladins were able to close in, each telling her how much they'd missed her and how glad they were that she was now safe.

And Lotor was left standing away from all of them, watching from a distance as hugs and sentimental tears were passed around. It didn't bother him much; he was used to being the outcast, unwanted and often forgotten. He only smiled at their antics and left the hanger bay, searching out the showers.

No one noticed him leave.

The showers were empty, just as he had been expecting. Not that he particularly cared; he didn't mind having some alone time to gather his thoughts and calm his nerves. He was aching for a nap just as Allura had been, and now that he was in safe space he could actually fall asleep for more than a varga at a time. His mind was already drifting off by the time he'd turned the water on, and the warmer the water got, the harder it was to stay alert.

He stayed under the water just long enough to wash the blood from his hair before toweling off and heading towards one of the guest bedrooms in the castle. He collapsed down on the small, comfy bed and closed his eyes, breathing deeply. He stretched his arms and legs, his body feeling free from not having to wear his armor anymore.

He tried to put his thoughts in order, to make plans about what he'd do when he left this room, but his thoughts were murky and soon he'd fallen asleep. The fluffiness of the bed simply did him in.

xoxo

"Really, Coran, I'm fine. But please, I need sleep. And some alone time," Allura said as Coran walked her back to her bedroom.

"I understand, I understand," Coran said, "but I do insist on walking you back. And if you need anything, anything at all, just call me and I'll be there in less than a tick!"

"Thank you, Coran, I'll keep that in mind," she said, "but please. Quieter. I need some rest."

"Understood," Coran whispered. "I won't be far from here if you need me."

Allura nodded and stepped into her bedroom, not even waiting for the door to slide closed before pulling the prison dress off of her. She threw it into a far corner and went to collapse on her bed. The sheets were so soft, and the pillows so soft, and the mattress so soft. She crawled up to the headboard before collapsing again, not even bothering to pull the sheets over her.

The cool, crispness of the sheets felt good up against her raw skin, and she took a few deep breaths, sighing in relief.

"Lotion," Allura moaned to herself, forcing herself up off the bed and into her adjacent bathroom. "Lotion. Need some lotion."

The mice who had been sleeping on her pillow had woken up and followed her into the bathroom, watching her with squeaks and twitching noses as Allura groggily searched for her lotion jars.

"Where is it?" she mumbled to herself.

The mice squeaked at her.

"I'm looking for some lotion," Allura replied. "My skin hurts. I can't bear to wear anything right now. I need lotion, so much lotion…"

The mice squeaked again.

"What? That's right, I put it on my nightstand the other night. How could I have forgotten?" Allura said, walking back into her bedroom, the mice following after her.

Why did I put my lotion out here? Allura wondered to herself. She tried to remember, but nothing came to her.

Not that it mattered that much. All that mattered was the soft, soothing, cold lotion spreading over Allura's skin. The relief was so nice that tears sprung to her eyes. She slathered it on thick on every part of her that she could touch before falling flat on her bed again. Much better this time. Her skin almost felt like normal—almost. She'd have to mix some medicinal balm on her skin with it, but that was a task for another time.

The mice jumped up on the bed with her, curling back up on her pillow with small squeaks.

"Yes, sleep well to you too," Allura told them. "Wake me up within a varga. I need to go see the rest of the team soon."

The mice squeaked again, one of them scurrying over to her ear.

"Yes, and Lotor too," Allura said with a small smile. "I do consider him part of the team, after all."

The mouse squeaked next to her ear, its tail curling inquisitively.

"Yes, well," Allura said, "we've been through so much together, of course he would mean much to me." With another squeak, Allura rolled over, the back of her head facing the mice. "That's quite personal. You don't need to know that."

The curious mouse crawled around to face her again, its nose twitching and its squeaks making Allura blush.

"How—? How could you possibly know that?" Allura asked it.

The mouse squeaked its reply and Allura looked down at her body, seeing small claw marks on her hips and a dark bruise on her breast. Allura's whole body flushed hot and she sat up straight, checking over her entire body. The closer she looked, the more she saw. The occasional claw marks, just faint enough to hide amongst the scratches from her prison dress, were evident all over her skin. But the three hickeys on her breasts and stomach were dark and obvious, painfully visible even in the darkness of her bedroom.

"It's…it's no matter," Allura told herself. "They'll be hidden under my clothes the whole time. Plenty of time for them to heal. Besides, no one will ever see them."

The mice squeaked at her again and Allura frowned.

"Lotor would never ask to see them," Allura told them. Besides, she thought, he's already seen them.

The mice kept squeaking at her, but she'd had enough of their conversation.

"Goodnight," Allura told them, slamming herself down onto the mattress and nuzzling into the soft sheets and even softer pillows. "I hope you all have sweet dreams."

Allura slept on and off, tossing and turning and waking up to put on more and more lotion. Finally, when she could take no more she got out of her bed, threw on her softest sleep robes, and went out to go find the paladins.

Given the way the light in the castle was, it was during the night cycle. Still, that didn't mean that everyone would be in bed sleeping. She knew that a few of them liked to stay up late into the night, for one reason or another.

She heard talking from the hanger bay, so she decided to go look there. She found Lotor and Pidge still up talking, standing around their stolen Galra ship that they'd escaped in.

"I've looked it over five times now and I can safely say that there is no tracking device or programs on this ship," Pidge was saying. "But just in case, I've taken the liberty of reprogramming a lot of the initial systems and even made a few modifications on the engines. I'd do more but it's getting pretty late and I wanna get up early so Hunk and I can make breakfast. No offense, but sustenance tastes really bad."

"Thank you for all help," Lotor said, looking over the ship. "I'll sleep better knowing that this ship is secured." He turned to Pidge and smiled. "And I know exactly what mean. Sustenance does taste bad after a while."

"Well, if that's all, goodnight!" Pidge said, giving him an awkward salute before marching off. "Oh, Allura!" Pidge said, seeing Allura in the doorway. Lotor turned to look at her too.

"Hello, Pidge," Allura said, giving her a smile. "You said you were going to sleep, so I won't keep you." Allura sidestepped to make room but Pidge shook her head.

"Hey, no problem. I've always got time for you."

"That's sweet of you to say," Allura said, "but please don't stay up on my account. Go and get some rest. I'll still be here in the morning. Promise."

Pidge yawned and said, "Okay. Goodnight. Try not to overexert yourself." She stretched and walked out of the hanger, the door sliding shut behind her.

Allura turned to look at Lotor, who was still standing by the ship looking it over. Allura approached quietly, stopping just short of him.

"I trust that you've gotten enough rest?" Allura asked.

"Yes, more than enough, in fact." He smiled at her. "The bed was very fluffy."

They chuckled.

"So," Lotor said, "to what do I owe the honor?"

"Well, I'd finished sleeping and I came to see if anyone was still awake."

"Well, with the green paladin having gone to bed, it would seem we're the only ones awake now," Lotor said. "Had you woken up only a few dobashes ago, Coran would have still been up."

"So late? He's usually the first one to bed," Allura said.

"It appears he was too worried about you to sleep," Lotor said.

"Oh," Allura said, her head lowering with guilt.

"Would you like me to escort you back to your room, princess?" Lotor asked.

"Hm? Oh, no. Thank you," Allura said, "I'd prefer to stay up. I couldn't possibly get anymore sleep at a time like this."

"Neither could I," Lotor replied. "Would you like to go and sit down somewhere? We could discuss matters since we're still awake."

Allura nodded. "I'd like that. Thank you." Allura thought for a moment before saying, "We can go to the dining hall. It's right around this time that fresh water is being generated, and it should be at just the right temperature and oxidization level."

When Lotor nodded, Allura smiled and took his hand, leading him through the castle to the dining hall.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

* * *

The water was just as nice as Allura had hoped; fresh, crisp, cool, clean.

"Is the water always this fresh at night?" Lotor asked her.

Allura nodded. "But the morning supply is fresh, too. Though perhaps not as crisp tasting." She set her cup down on the table and turned to look at him. "So what should we talk about?"

"We could discuss our next mission," Lotor suggested, "though it wouldn't be such an opportune time with everyone else asleep."

"Then perhaps we could talk about other things. Less important things, even," Allura said.

"Such as?" Lotor asked.

"Well…back on the ship, you said that you wanted to be Altean. A full-blooded Altean," Allura whispered, looking back down at her cup of water.

"I did say that, didn't I?" Lotor asked. "I didn't mean for it to come off as offensive if it—"

"No, no, not at all," Allura reassured him, putting a hand on his shoulder. Still, she could see the guilt on his face even in the dim lighting of the night. "I only…wanted to ask you about that."

"Ask about what?" Lotor asked.

"Well…would you care to elaborate on that?" Allura asked. "I mean, what about Altea is so intriguing to you?"

"Well…my mother was Altean," Lotor said, "and I never fully knew Altea. I knew the Galra, and I was able to learn about thousands of other cultures throughout the universe, but Altea was gone. I learned all I could about it, but it was just gone… I always thought that if I were fully Altean, or fully Galran, I would be happier, and know where exactly I belonged in all this chaos."

"I see," Allura said.

"Galran culture is quite violent, as I'm sure you already know…"

"Yes, I'm well aware," Allura said.

"It wasn't always like that, but after a few thousand decaphoebs, it's become so violent that I don't think there's ever a way to go back to a more peaceful way of life. So I always figured that Altea would be the better alternative," Lotor told her.

"I think it can be done," Allura said.

"What?"

"Changing the culture," Allura said. "I know that the Galra have been violent for thousands of generations, but that doesn't mean it can't change. Any culture is capable of change. It would take what? Four? Maybe five generations for a culture to be fully changed?"

"It's not that simple," Lotor said. "Though I wish it were."

"It may not be simple. It may even be close to incomprehensible, but it is possible. You could do it, if you were in charge. Change may be slow, but it is always happening," Allura said.

Lotor reflected on her words, thinking about just what it would take to make the Galra peaceful again. Five generations? That seemed reasonable. Slow, but reasonable.

"Besides," Allura said, her voice dropping, "Altean culture is far from perfect. We aren't always peaceful, and our culture has…had problems."

"Care to elaborate?" Lotor asked her.

"Altea was great. It was home. I only have fond memories of home, but I can remember what it was like. It was a culture of intense loneliness, no matter where or what you did, or even how many friends you had. There was always something that kept us from being ourselves, from being close to other people. It was a restricting culture, with so many taboos and rules and depressing social norms that at times it felt suffocating."

"A lonely and suffocating culture," Lotor said. "Sounds like something I could relate to."

Allura looked at him sadly.

"The Galra are violent but they can speak and feel freely. There are no hints of loneliness in them. I've experienced moments like those, though they are few and far between. And that is only because it is me. But I'd rather have lived in a lonely culture instead of a violent one," Lotor said.

"I've never said this before, but lately, I've never felt less lonely in my life. The paladins…they are strange and they're from a strange planet, but their culture is one of connectivity and independence. They all speak their minds so freely, and they're so close to one another in everything they do. There seems to be no sense of taboo against such open expression with them."

Lotor smiled and put his hand on top of hers. Allura laced her fingers through his, looking up at him and smiling before turning back to her cup of water, sipping it slowly.

"The paladins can be quite strange, but I suppose that's just a part of their charm," Lotor said. "Even with a universal war going on, they seem so happy and unburdened."

"And expressive," Allura said. "I've been learning from them, in a way. Learning how to express myself, and to learn what it's like to be an individual, instead of just an insignificant piece in a significant world. I've learned that just because I was born for a purpose doesn't mean that I can't have control of my life and who I am."

Lotor remained silent. Her words were…enlightening, in a sense. Not even he had thought of his culture that way. He wondered what it might be like, to be able to be so unafraid to be expressive and personal with other people. The closest he'd ever come was the sense of camaraderie he'd had with his generals, and even then it seemed like there was a barrier of formalities and protocols keeping them from ever actually knowing one another.

"Every culture has bad parts," Allura said, more to herself than to him. "I'm sure that if we were to dig a little deeper into the paladin's culture, their culture would be just as horrible as any other."

"Nothing in the universe can compare to how horrible the Galra have been," Lotor said. "They're so easily manipulated that they'd followed Zarkon through every single atrocity that he'd dare to commit. I'm afraid of just what's to come. How much lower will he sink? How much more will they endure? If only I could persuade them, I'd be able to change the tide and manipulate them into being something better."

"Perhaps the key lies not within manipulation, but within teaching," Allura said.

"What do you mean?" Lotor asked her.

"Maybe they don't need to be told what to think, whether to be good or evil and who to follow, you or Zarkon. Maybe they need to be told how to think, who they feel they should follow, what they feel is good or evil. If they could make decisions like that for themselves, people like Zarkon wouldn't be so powerful," Allura said.

"That…that sounds so simple and yet it would never work," Lotor said. "We Galran know how to think, Allura, it's just been corrupted. The soldiers under Zarkon's command believe that they are in the right and that they are doing good. Everything can be manipulated…even conscience."

Allura sighed sadly and drained the last of her water.

"Do you want more?" Lotor asked her.

When Allura made no reply, he simply took her cup for her and filled it again, setting two fresh cups of water before them.

"I didn't mean for this conversation to turn so depressing, princess," Lotor said, putting a hand on top of hers. "I only meant to be realistic."

"I know you did," Allura said. "I guess I just…thought that it would be simple."

"It is, in a sense," Lotor said. "If Zarkon were to fall, and I were to take his place, things could start getting better. The war could end and Galra civilization could begin to heal from its violent ways."

"Hopefully someday soon," Allura said, giving him a hopeful smile.

"Hopefully," Lotor agreed.

Allura sighed. "Lotor."

"Allura?"

"Back when we were on Oriadne, and earlier when we were escaping…we were free, in a sense. There were no boundaries or taboos or anything…nothing holding us back or stopping us…stopping us from being together…"

Lotor saw the look on Allura's face, the way her eyes were shining in the dim lighting, and felt the way her fingers were moving against his palm. He glanced down at his fingers and then back up into Allura's eyes, drinking in the sight of him till he felt the heat rise to his face.

"…You…you want to…be together again…?" Lotor asked.

Allura looked down at her cup and blushed. She felt so awkward about it though neither of them had even actually said it.

"Yes," Allura said, so quietly it was almost impossible to hear. "I want to."

Lotor put a hand on her shoulder, his fingers pressing into her skin. Allura looked over at him, and his hand moved up to her cheek, his thumb stroking back and forth.

"…Now…?" he whispered.

"Yes," Allura said, forcing her voice to be strong, "I…want to. With you. Now."

Lotor swallowed and pulled his hand away, leaving Allura with a cold feeling on her cheek.

"Let's finish our water first," Lotor suggested, starting at his reflection in the cup. He watched as Allura's reflection leaned in close to his face and kissed him on the cheek.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

* * *

Allura laid down on her bed, pulling Lotor with her. Her fingers gripped his hair as she kissed him, moaning lightly as she did.

Lotor wrapped his arms around her back, sliding her into the center of the bed so he could lay down with her. He put his knees on either side of her, drawing his knees up, making Allura's hips rise. His eyes slid open as he pulled away from her. looking at her so beautiful on the bed, the warm purplish light glowing on her face.

Lotor sat on his legs, pulling his sleeping tunic off of his body before leaning back down to Allura. As his pelvis pushed up against her, she could feel his erection through his pants, thick and hot and throbbing.

She closed her eyes again as his lips met hers. His kisses were so sweet, and his lips were so soft, and his hands were everywhere, lightly tracing small pathways from her back to her neck to her sides to her breasts to her hips and all over again. The tips of his claws teased her sensitive skin but he never pressed too hard. Not even when he pinched her nipple and rolled it between his fingers.

Allura whimpered, tossing her head back.

Lotor took the chance to kiss her neck, pressing kiss after kiss to her heated skin and letting his tongue taste the sweet, sweet taste of her skin. He could still taste the lotion she'd put on earlier, and it tasted sweet in his mouth. He licked her again, swiping his tongue up the side of her neck, following her pulse until he reached the shell of her ear.

His teeth lightly grazed her ear, his lips traveling up to the pointed tips. Allura could hear every small moan and quiet, raspy breath that escaped from him.

"Lotor…" she rasped, her head tilting back and her hips shifting.

Lotor made no reply; he only traveled back down to her neck, leaving kisses along her collarbones as his thumb slid over her neck, his long fingers reaching the back of her head and tangling into the curls of her hair.

Allura gasped and shuddered when she felt his tongue on her nipple, swirling around it before taking the rest of her breast in his mouth, lightly sucking. When her nipple popped out of his mouth, he rolled his thumb over her breast again, now red and wet, her nipples hard and so sensitive under his touch.

He moved to her other breast, still continuing to knead and caress the other one.

Allura put her hands on his head, combing his hair with her fingers as he used his mouth to pleasure her. He gave her breast one last lick before he moved down to her stomach, his hands on her hips, between her thighs, spreading her legs apart as his mouth traveled lower and lower.

Allura knew what was coming this time. She remembered it vividly from their escape.

When Lotor's tongue swiped up her labia, she gasped and arched her back, one hand going to her mouth to keep her from crying out, the other grabbing his hand and holding it tightly.

Allura groaned and grunted and moaned and whimpered into her hand, but she found that she couldn't keep the raw sounds from escaping her throat as Lotor's tongue flicked over her clitoris. She grabbed the sheets on her bed and bit down on them, trying to keep from crying out as she got closer and closer to her climax.

Lotor feasted on her body, lapping at her clitoris and labia so quickly and with such perfect skill that she was nearly shaking like a leaf in the wind.

Even as she bit down on the sheet, Lotor could hear the occasional, "Yes, yes, yes," leave her lips, only broken up by his name and her almost feral moans.

With his free hand, he reached down between his legs, feeling his erection straining against the fabric of his pants. He lightly stroked himself, his fingers traveling up and down his shaft, teasing his head before backing away again. With Allura writhing and moaning like she was, and the taste of her cunt filling his mouth, it was almost impossible for him not to touch himself. Precum was beading around the tip of his cock, and he could feel it wetting the fabric of his pants as he continued to rub himself.

Allura's legs began to quiver, and soon her hips were thrashing against his mouth, a feral growl escaping her body, only to be muffled by the sheets she was biting down on. He grip tightened on him and Lotor smiled up against her body.

Allura came hard, her whole body feeling electric as his tongue moved against her. White hot pleasure raced through her, her whole body tensing and shaking until she couldn't take in anymore and she needed to get away. She tried to back away from Lotor's mouth, but he grabbed both of her legs, pinning her thighs down with his strong arms, continuing to swirl his tongue along her clitoris until she was nearly sobbing with pleasure, her whole body tingling and writhing until eventually her muscles turned watery and all the tension left her body.

When she went limp, moaning in pleasure and relief, Lotor stood up, looking down at her with a wide smile, the warm light flashing against his fangs.

Allura was breathing hard, her eyelids fluttering open, and she gave him a giddy smile, chuckling slightly.

"I think you quite enjoyed that," Lotor said, leaning forward on his hands, his face only inches away from hers.

"How could I not?" Allura replied breathily. "I want to return the favor."

Lotor's eyes widened and his breath caught in his throat. He looked down at her with a mix of excitement and disbelief.

Allura chuckled, the look on his face too cute to ignore. She pushed herself up, leaning back on her hands. She kissed him softly on the lips and said, "Could I please return the favor?"

"You—you sure?" Lotor asked her. His breath ghosted across her skin .

"Of course I am," Allura said with a smile. "May I please?"

Her hand was already reaching out for the waistband of his pants, his fingers brushing against his sensitive cock. The tick that her fingers touched it, his cock twitched and Lotor's entire body shuddered. He closed his eyes and nodded. "Yes. Of course. I—I want you to."

He straightened and unclasped his pants, letting them fall to the floor.

Allura looked down between his legs, taking a deep breath. She'd never actually seen his penis before. She'd felt it in her only vargas ago, but she'd never actually looked at it. She sat there, looking at it curiously as Lotor knelt down on the bed next to her.

Lotor put his hands on her cheeks, making her turn her gaze upwards. He kissed her and laid down on her bed, pulling her down with him as his head hit the pillows. Allura ended the kiss with a hard nip to his bottom lip, making him jump in surprise before lowering herself down to his chest, kissing his nipples, swirling her tongue around them, lightly running her teeth along them hinting at threat of a bite.

Lotor moaned and shifted his hips, his cock aching in anticipation.

Allura was in no rush at all. She toyed and teased his nipples until Lotor's toes and fingers were twitching impatiently.

"Allura…" he groaned, wanting to be in her so badly it was causing his head to spin. "Allura…please…"

"Don't be so impatient," Allura told him, "I want this to last."

Lotor huffed, knowing that those were the exact same words he'd said to her back on the ship. Oh, sweet irony, Lotor thought to himself, putting a hand over his eyes.

Allura's hand wrapped around his shaft and Lotor's hips thrust up into her hand, a soft groan escaping his lips. Allura gripped him and ran her hand up and down his shaft, his skin sliding up and down along with her. Allura watched it, biting her lip and her ears lowering. It felt somewhat strange for his skin to be so loose around him, but she remembered back to the ship when they were escaping, and she remembered his thrusts into her, and she supposed it made sense.

As she stroked him, precum spilled out from the slit, moistening her hand and making his shaft slick. She swiped her thumb over his slit, feeling the slight stick of the fluid.

"Did you climax already?" Allura asked him.

"No," Lotor replied with a shake of his head. He put his hands to his side and peered at her. "There would be more…if I had…"

Allura vaguely remembered the feeling of fluid inside her body, and then remembered their hurried attempt to clean it away. She remembered there had been more of it than this, and it was white and sticky and clung to her fingers no matter how many times she'd wiped them on the seat.

There was no sense in delaying any longer. She'd said she would return the favor, and she was going to.

Lowering her head, she took Lotor's cock into her mouth, swirling her tongue around the head of his cock and making him groan and sink his claws into her bedding. "Allura!" he gasped, his hips rising to meet her lips and his legs shaking.

She moved her tongue up and down the underside of his shaft, mimicking the motions she'd felt Lotor do on her. It was working on him just the same, with him panting and moaning and writing against her sheets. She dared to take more of him into her mouth, sinking lower and drooling slightly. Not ladylike but oh so expressive.

She wrapped her hand around the base of his penis, sliding it up and down, her knuckles meeting her lips before they came apart, her lips kissing his head and her fingers brushing up against his testicles.

The sounds he made were so raw and intoxicating. The whimpers hot and needy. The groans deep and strangled. The moans loud and sexy.

Allura let his cock lay flat against his stomach and she ran her tongue along it, not wanting to keep her jaw open for so long. She pressed butterfly kisses along his shaft before trailing her tongue up and down it again.

Lotor groaned and said, "Allura…stop…"

She stopped and sat up straight, sitting on her legs. "Something wrong?"

"I was…too close," he said. "I didn't want to…release…just yet…"

Allura laid down next to him and wrapped her arms around him, rolling him on top of her. She looked up at him, her eyes shining, her lips curled into a smile, her hair tousled, and her breath coming in short gasps.

"You want this to last," Allura said.

"Yes," Lotor said. "Along with…"

"Yes?"

"Releasing…in your mouth…" Lotor grimaced at the thought of it.

Allura hadn't even considered that.

She put it out of her mind and pulled him in for another kiss. Lotor rolled them back over, placing Allura on top of him. Her knees went to either side of his hips, and Lotor reached between their legs to slide his fingers up Allura's labia. His cock brushed up along her inner thighs, and he thrust his hips up, reveling in the feeling of being so close to release, and being so close to her body.

Lotor spread his legs wider, his feet bracing against the mattress, and his hands grabbed Allura's ass, moving her back and forth, his cock tapered between her lips. Allura ground her hips back and forth, the sensation of it making her muscles tense and her vaginal walls clench together.

She was ready to take him in her.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

* * *

Allura grabbed the backs of Lotor's knees and lifted his legs up.

The hands on her hips left her skin and went to his cock, gripping himself, stroking himself, positioning himself between her legs. The tip of his cock gliding back and forth between her labia; it was wet and warm and making his eyes roll back in his head, tearing moans from his lips. The tip of his cock slid into her opening, teasing the entrance, teasing his head, before Allura slid all the way down, moaning out his name as he thrust his hips up to meet her own.

Allura leaned forward, her hands splayed on his abs, as she lifted her hips up and down, her eyes closed and her lips parted.

Lotor was still beneath her, with only his hands moving, guiding her hips up and down as she slowly rode him. He was groaning, his heels digging into the sheets as he fought the urge to thrust up as fast and hard as he could. He forced his breath to be slow and deep, trying to take his time and not come too quickly.

Allura's chin dropped down to her chest, her fluffy white hair bouncing and falling forward. Lotor felt the tips tickling the tips of his fingers, and he grabbed onto her hair, gripping the silken locks in his fists.

Lotor's hands jumped to her breasts, his thumbs flicking her nipples, the tips of his claws lightly scratching her collarbones.

Allura let out a quick gasp as she felt Lotor thrust up. He hadn't even noticed; it had felt so natural, so thoughtless. His hands went down to grab her ass, and he moved her body back and forth on him, trying to get her to move faster and ride him as mercilessly as she could.

Allura quickened her pace and Lotor's breath turned raspy.

"Allura…!" he hissed out her name, before he bit down on his lip, trying not to break his skin but his fangs still drawing hints of blood.

Allura leaned forward and kissed him, her tongue licking up the speck of blood from his lips.

A single hand came to the back of her head, pressing it towards him, crushing her mouth up against his. Allura's tongue ran along Lotor's bottom lip, still tasting the slight metallic taste of his blood before she locked lips with him again.

"Lean back," Lotor breathed.

Allura gave him one more wet kiss before she sat back, her legs spreading wide, her back coming rest against his elevated knees. Lotor's fingers crept along her inner thighs as Allura ground back and forth against him, his cocking sliding in and out of her with every twitch of her hips.

"Ah—! Allura—!"

He took over, his hips thrusting up wildly just as he'd been wanting, making Allura practically sing with pleasure, her moans and cries filling the room around them.

Allura tried to match his pace, but it seemed like she couldn't move fast enough. Lotor was too far gone in the lust and pleasure of it all that he seemed to have forgotten just how quickly he was moving. Eventually, Allura just held his hands, her fingers intertwined with his as Lotor rode her passionately.

Allura cried out, her vaginal walls clenching around him. Her hand shot down between her legs, her fingers massaging her clitoris as her head tilted forward, strangled gasps filling the air.

"Yes, yes, yes…" she panted.

Lotor groaned and rolled them both over suddenly, Allura's back hitting the sheets and her hands gripping the bed to keep from falling. Lotor stood up, grabbed Allura in his arms, and lifted her up. Allura wrapped her arm around his neck and her legs around his waist, her free hand going back to her clitoris.

Lotor's hands gripped her ass and his lips pressed against the top of her shoulder, sucking and nipping on her skin, making her moan his name.

Allura's head tossed back, exposing her neck to him. His lips roamed over her throat, his tongue leaving just a hint of wetness before he went back to her shoulder, sucking harder and harder as he got closer to climax. Her throat vibrated with every moan and grunt that escaped her lips, and Lotor could feel the tingle on his lips.

His legs were starting to shake the closer he got to climax, but he still stood there, lifting Allura up and down as he thrust his hips upward, not letting up for even a tick.

"I'm close," Lotor whispered against her skin.

Allura nodded her head; it was all she could manage to do.

Lotor moved them back over to the bed, laying her down and laying on top of her, sliding into her again, kissing her forehead and gripping her hair as he lowered himself onto his elbows.

Allura planted her feet on the bed and thrust her hips up, moving rhythmically as her fingers went back to her clitoris, rubbing it in time with her hips.

Lotor's kiss broke as he came, with him gasping for air, a strangled moan filling the air. He thrust into her a few more times, trying to prolong his orgasm as long as possible, before he eventually slowed, panting, his whole body shaking with the strain.

"Allura!" he breathed, pressing another kiss to her forehead.

He let go of her hair and began petting her head and stroking her face gently, small butterfly kisses traveling along her skin.

Allura spread her legs wider until her legs were flat against the bed. She still touched herself, orbiting her clit with her fingers. She was so close that her eyes were watering and her toes were so pointed that her calves burned. Her breath was still shaky, and she tossed her head back against the sheets, giving Lotor a chance to lavish her neck with his kisses and bites.

"Keep going," Allura said.

Lotor's slightly rolled off of her, though his body was still pressed up against her side, his legs and arms tangled around her. His hand ran down her body, from her shoulder and down to her breast. Allura could feel his nails, now short and blunt, as his fingers wrapped around her breast, his thumb on her nipple.

"Lotor…"

Her lips parted and she peered up at him through her lashes. Lotor kissed her, savoring the soft feeling of her lips against his. His hand moved from her breast and down between her legs, where her own hand was still working, orbiting her clitoris quickly and driving her closer towards her own climax.

She craved her second orgasm. Craved it like she craved her next breath.

And then Lotor's long fingers reached down between her legs and penetrated her, his fingers curling, pressing into the soft sponginess of her G-spot.

Allura moaned; his fingers had found just the right spot, one that would drive her crazy with pleasure.

"Don't stop!" she rasped.

He curled his fingers more, applying just enough pressure to make her whimper. Allura loved it; the curling of his fingers combined with her clitoral stimulation was just enough to send her over the edge.

Her breath caught in her throat as she came, with her back arching and her legs quivering. Her fingers were now rapid over her clit, drawing out her orgasm as long as she could, making it so intense that she completely lost herself in pure, pure bliss.

As she came back down from her high, Lotor's name was heavy on her lips, and her body broke out in goosebumps, sweat beading along her hairline. She panted, pulling away her hands and throwing herself into Lotor's arms, kissing him greedily until the kisses became sweet and unrushed.

The soft, warm, tingling afterglow set in.

When she opened her eyes, she saw Lotor's face, peaceful, blissful, his eyes closed, an easy, unburdened smile on his lips. And when his eyes opened, the look in them was so intimate, so emotional…but Allura didn't take her eyes off of him even for a tick. She put her hand on his cheek, and he brought her hand to his mouth, kissing her open palm and breathing deep the scent that clung to her fingers.

Allura sighed in contentment.

Lotor's eyes opened again, watching her face as he took the tips of her fingers into his mouth, the tip of his tongue gliding over them, tasting her.

Allura still held his gaze, the smile never disappearing from her face.

Lotor's eyes glanced down to her shoulder and he ghosted her fingers over her skin. The slightest of pressure told her that there was a bruise there; a dark hickey from his mouth and indents from his teeth and fangs. Lotor's eyes continued to roam around her body, looking at all the marks that he had left on her skin—evidence of their passion. The new marks and the old marks all blended together to make a picture on her body, one that made Lotor breathe deep and focus his gaze more.

Allura took the time to look down at his own body, where marks of her own were spread all over his skin. Indents from her teeth, dark purple hickeys from her mouth, scratches from her nails…

He was beautiful in a way she couldn't describe, but one that made her heart ache. Something deep curled inside of her, reaching from her heart all the way down between her legs. She looked back up at his eyes, his traveling back up to meet her gaze. She was beautiful in just the same way.

It was beauty that only lovers could share with each other.

She pulled Lotor tight against her body, closing her eyes and breathing his scent, feeling the warmth of his skin and the softness of his hair. Lotor held her close to his chest, where she could feel the smooth, slow intake of his breath and hear his exhale as it ruffled the stray bits of her hair.

"Stay with me tonight," Allura said.

She felt the curl of Lotor's fingers and the nod of his head. "As you wish, princess."


End file.
